Babies and Brooke

For Brooke’s birthday, she got her very first baby doll!  And of course, you can’t have a baby without all the gear – stroller, car seat, and crib too.

She loves the babies!  And we wanted her to be prepared for when baby #3 joins our family this Fall. 

Cause she has a few small problems.  When she sees a baby, she always insists on putting her finger in the babies mouth.

Just like she did months ago with cousin Scarlett. 

Brooke “helping” Scarlett

Now she’s grown out of that phase, but when she sees a Scarlett’s paci, she’ll run up to her and put it in her mouth, even though Scarlett is more than capable doing it herself.

She also forgets how big she is.  Thanks to Aunt Katie, Brooke got the idea she could fit in the doll stroller. 

For days, Brooke would use this like her own personal wheelchair – just kicking her legs around to get her to where she wanted to go.

Brooke’s new set of wheels

Until the seams on the stroller busted!  Now only dolls can safely ride in the stroller. 

Brooke loves to give babies hugs and kisses!  She’s usually pretty gentle, except when she’s pushing her baby in all around the house in her stroller.  It gets a little crazy.

And when cousin Q comes to play – they’re unstoppable.  One with the stroller, the other with the grocery cart.  And Q likes to load it up with everything in site, piling it twice as high as she is.  If you saw her on the street, you’d  think she’s homeless :)

We’re hoping she’ll love baby #3 just as much…and maybe remember to ALWAYS be gentle with her.  She’s got SO much LOVE to give…hopefully it’ll come natural to her.  If not, we’re ALL in trouble!!

Tanner’s First Day of Kindergarten

I can’t believe it. I’m now the mother of a Kindergartener. 

For Tanner, there was no bittersweet.  Only excitement!!

He ran out the door, “Come on Mom, we don’t want to be late!”

The day before school started, we read my absolute favorite book, the Kissing Hand.

We made these cute handprints to go along with the story and complete a quick questionnaire – All about Tanner.  Some of his answers surprised me, and if I asked him today, would probably get a totally different answer. 

Before we left the house, I wanted to capture a few cute pics. 

And Brooke, of course, insisted on being included as well.  These two are so cute together, I’m glad she’ll be taking a nap most of the time while he’s gone, cause she doesn’t know what to do without him. 

For lunch, Tanner and I got to go on a mommy/son date at a local pizza place.  As we were getting to the restaurant, tanner was telling me “This is BOTH of ours LUCKY day cause we get to spend time together.  It’s better than Legoland…cause that was just my lucky day – not yours!” As long as he stays this sweet, I guess it’s okay if he grows up.  Maybe…

Tanner was very concerned when I had to stop by the house and grab my cell phone – “Mom, I don’t want to be late!”  This isn’t a phrase I’ve ever heard him utter.  Tanner is a pokey puppy and ALWAYS the last one to get in the car!  I’m hoping this is a trend that continues.

Anthony met us at the school and we walked him in together.  Tanner is already acting like he’s way too cool for pics.

Tanner just couldn’t wait to rush to his room, find his seat, and get started. 

Just like the story, I gave Tanner a kiss on the hand, and he gave one to us, and that was it.  He didn’t seem nervous, shy, sad or anything…just EXCITED!  That was it.

I didn’t think I’d get emotion, but walking down that hall, brought the whole realization hit me, and as I was telling Anthony what he said at lunch about it being BOTH of our LUCKY days, I got all choked up.  He’s such a sweet little boy, and I’m definitely going to miss him during the day.

And halfway through the afternoon, I got an email with a picture of Tanner – showing me how much fun he was having.  Seriously – so cute!!!

When I picked him up, the same excitement was on his face.  Success!  He had a great first day of school – and said he liked going to library the best – where he got to pick out and take home a book.

When we got home, I had another special surprise waiting.  Two more story books…

And hopefully he’ll be reading this on his own in no time!

I had a LOT of anxiety about him starting this school year, and all summer long, we planning on enrolling him in another year of Transitional K at a local preschool.  I talked myself into all the reasons why I wasn’t ready for him to start – but they were all about me…and none about him.  He was ready to start! 

Earlier, Tanner had seemed to read my mind.  The main anxiety I had about starting school was the social aspect – and couldn’t handle the thought of being not being nice to him or him learning bad habits from other kids.  As if he could read my mind, he told me before school started – “Mom, I don’t need to be friends with everyone.  I just need a few close friends that I really like.”

I definitely think he experience last year starting at a whole new preschool in which he knew absolutely no one totally helped prepare him for this year. 

Plus, he had gotten a special priesthood father’s blessing from Anthony the night before, calming more of my fears.  

I had been praying about this decision, but couldn't ever feel at peace about holding him back.   I still had my hesitations, but after meeting the teacher and seeing the school, I feel great about this decision! 

His teacher, Mrs. Swan, is very well-educated, has a Masters degree from the top-ranked teaching college in KS.  She’s been teaching for over 11 years, and has a son just a few years older, so she knows all about boys.

Plus, it’s just a half-day program and he has a small class size -- there’s only 14 kids in his class.  And many of the other kids also have summer birthdays just like him.  Seriously, all answers to our prayers!!!

PS – Not that it really matters, but I had this amazing outfit preppy boy outfit picked out.  Tanner insisted it was a church-shirt cause it was a button-down.  Small battles…he won!  But when I looked at what all the other boys were wearing…it was ALL athletic shorts and t-shirts.  Is this what boys wear to school these days? Apparently Tanner has more sense of fashion than I do!!.  He would EASILY wear these every.single.day if he could. 

Uncle Lance’s Visit

Just when the festivities from the Fourth of July were coming to an end and others were leaving town, my brother Lance came to visit.  Never a dull moment around here – let me tell you!!!

In Dallas, we were definitely spoiled by his random visits in which we never got more than 5 minutes notice.   It was always a fun occasion and you never quite know what you’d get…

Like Lance coming with a Lion costume – which Tanner couldn’t fully appreciate until Uncle Lance showed us how cool it’s done!

But since he moved to Chicago nearly two years ago, we’ve only seen him one other time for Christmas.

This isn’t my little brother anymore.  He towers over me at nearly 6’5” tall and is the best person to have deep conversations with on nearly any topic – childbirth, politics, parenting, religion.  Even though our opinions vary greatly, I like to think he’s a little more grounded and a little less liberal after we discuss :)

And we always end up down memory row, re-telling favorite childhood stories.  These lil brothers were younger than me and our perceptions are so different so it’s fun to compare notes. 

I’m not the only one that feels this way…the kids LOVE Uncle Lance.  He’s a lot of fun!  Here’s just a few reasons why: 

1.  Brooke wanted to ride a trike to the pool…and he wasn’t going to tell her no.  So while I drove, she got to go for a quick ride.

She just wasn’t so happy when it came to an end :(

2.  And heck, what’s not to love about a triple decker swing ride,

3.  Waging war in the middle of a children’s museum,

4.  And chasing small children “up” the playground equipment

While he was here, we made the most of his visit.  We went to Union Station to see Science City.  And with the exception of 1 or 2 exhibits, not much had changed from his childhood fieldtrip some 10+ years ago.

We debated on going to see the Real Pirates touring exhibit, but decided it might not be kid-friendly.  Up until then, Tanner was under the false impressions pirates weren’t real.

But in the meantime, we enjoyed all the extra pirate props…

And did our best impersonations of a “real pirate.”   

And it was these boys lucky day – cause they had a special Space exhibit that included all these super cool “aliens!”

Tanner got to experiment using a real robot arm…not nearly as easy as he would have thought!

And Brooke was having a field day with the orbiting turn table – throwing various round objects as much as she could.

There were many oohhs and aahhs heard as the air stream sent these soaring.  Brooke have been content to stay there all.day.long!

And of course, who’s not up for a game of tug of war?  This wasn’t quite fair – one side was rigged.  

But with a little team work – defeat!

Dinosaur Dig – Tanner LOVES dinosaurs, and loves uncovering these fossils just as much (Barnum’s Bones is a awesome book for any fossil enthusiasts out there). 

And Brooke wasn’t going to miss out on the fun!  While I thought it’d be the perfect time for her to sit next to me and eat a snack – she had other plans.  She walked right over to the bin, put on some glasses, and got straight to work!  Love her!!

And an indoor playground in the dead heat of summer never looked so appealing.  And these lil monkeys couldn’t agree more. 

In the mining area, the kids learned how to pull themselves up with pulleys.  Of course, they chose the “easy” one :)

For the time ever, Tanner actually enjoyed the dark ‘underground’ mining slide.  Even the covered twisty slides at playgrounds scare him.  But alas – he’s 5 – and he’s no longer scared.  He did tell me, though,  his light-up Puma shoes helped :)

Who’s ready for a spin in the helicopter?  Usually it’s Tanner that never wants to leave, but Ms. Brooke “won” that contest, hands down.

And last, but not least, a new Energy exhibit.  By spinning a human-size hamster wheel, it lets you know the speed/distance – and how many calories you burn.  I need one of these at home to help them burn off all that extra energy!!

And that folks, is how you spend a day at Science City Children’s Museum. 

The last night Lance was here, the kiddos and adults gathered for Theater in the Park to see Peter Pan.

Tanner was SO stinking excited!  He was asking me if they were really going to fly – and told him he’d have to watch and find out.  He was pretty mesmerized the entire time, and afterwards, asked if we could come back every single day. I think he may have liked it. 

And before the show even started, he wouldn’t budge from his seat to get a snack – for fear of missing any part of it!

And on the way home, he was singing, “Who’s the crookest crook of them all” or “I can fly, I can fly, I can fly!”  I asked him what his happy thought was – and he replied – “Christmas!”  And then I told him, my happy thought was him.   

Lance – it’s always a pleasure!  And hopefully when you move back to KC this Fall – these visits won’t be years apart.  Can’t wait!!!

Miss Independent–Brooke at 15 months

She’s my little ray of sunshine that lights up every single day!  She just loves to laugh and smile!!! 

Like pink swimsuits and pigtails!!  Who couldn’t help but LOVE her.  And despite the fact that she’s got a miserable cold– she’s still smiling!!!

What She LOVES

Her absolute favorite thing right now is listening to music, dancing and twirling around, clapping & stomping along.  She walks and runs with a dance in her step.  It doesn’t matter where we are, she’ll notice music playing.  We walk into a store, and she starts bopping her head and shaking it to the “elevator” music in the background. 

Here she is at home, after a long dance session.  Of course, she’s  distracted by the iPhone so this is just a small “taste'” of her skills.

Brooke Jamming to “Wheels on the Bus”

At the doctor’s office, while we were waiting, we turned up Pandora Toddler Radio and these kiddos were having such a good time – Brooke half “jumping” and half “dancing.”   

Good times at the Doctor’s office

Close second to dancing is reading books.  All day long, she brings her favorite books to me and snuggles up in my lap to read.  Her favorites are the song storybooks that I sing to her (of course!) and books with flaps for her to uncover – like Dear Zoo, Ears Nose & Toes.  But really, she loves all books!!!

Occasionally, all will be quiet in the house.  For a moment, it’s blissful, but quickly turns to panic as I imagine what disaster those two are conjuring up.  And low and behold – these two were just sitting on the couch, quietly reading through some books.  Few things compare to the pure joy I felt!

What WE love about her

I keep saying this, but this is my absolute favorite stage. She’s sweet, loves to please, and is genuinely happy.  She’s my lil ray of sunshine, and makes each day brighter and happier!

Even daily mundane tasks are better with Miss Brooke around.  Feeding her is pure pleasure.  She likes almost anything, and goes CRAZY for some things, like raspberries/strawberries, hard boiled eggs, avocado – and her new FAVORITE – corn on the cob! 

Today she saw we were having corn on the cob, and she went absolutely crazy – waiving her arms, squealing, and nearly jumping for joy out of her seat.  If you could only see how much fun she has EATING it. 

If you just laugh and smile at her, she’ll return the favor.  At dinner, she was in such a silly mood – and kept making the same goofy laugh and grin for over 15 minutes!  We couldn’t stop laughing, and she kept going.  She’s such a riot!

She’s turned into the most social baby—loves people!  She’ll wave and say hi or bye to everyone she meets, complete strangers, or heck, even animals.  And when people come to our house for a visit, on a few occasions, it’s been followed by tears when they have to leave.  

She’s the HAPPIEST, sweetest lil thing!!  Which are both words I would not have used to describe her at 9-12 months.  She was hard, near impossible some days to get to do the simplest of things, like nurse/drink a bottle and take a nap. 

Now she’s a pro – she wants her bottle, a few stories, and then her bed all to herself.  And wah-lah, it’s like magic.  She goes to bed and sleeps all by herself.  No battles, no short naps, no more waking up in the middle of the night.  Ever!

But let’s be honest.  As much as I can make her laugh and giggle, she’s genuinely the happiest with Tanner by her side. 

Tire Swing Giggles

Tanner loves to wrestle with her – chasing her around the house, tackling her onto the floor, and it’s not always the sweet, gentle kind.  And yet, she’ll still be full-out belly laughing, hysterically, all the time, even if she plummets to the floor. Or she even does it to herself as she runs full force and face plants.  She’s a pretty tough girl  and always manages to be just fine.  But tell her NO, or do something else that HURTS her feelings, and she’ll go all out with the drama and have tears flowing down her face.   It’s not the loud, annoying screams, but the saddest, softest cries like she’s in real pain. 

While Tanner and Brooke will constantly make each other laugh and giggle if they’re running around, playing outside, or another made-up game.  But introduce Tanner’s toys into the picture, and it’s near impossible.   Legos – naturally she’ll destroy.  Or we’ll pull out the Imaginext toys – one castle her and another for Tanner – and she’ll of course always gravitate towards what he is playing with – and some days, it drives him crazy!  The tactics we established when she was younger – if she has a toy you want, find another that she’ll like, and switch them out, or play on the table up high where she couldn’t reach – no longer work.  Some days are constant battles, and some days are instant successes.  These two were both laughing and giggling as they were playing with a new dollhouse – thanks Aunt Kristan for doing some “spring cleaning” and passing down the awesomeness!

But she’s not always an angel.  She still has her complete rebellious moments where she tries to throw a tantrum by arching her back and collapsing her body into a pile on the floor – but we ignore her tactics and she quickly recovers – as if nothing was wrong to begin with.

What she’s mastered

Not sure how it happened, but she just grew  up overnight!  She’s now a toddler and definitely not a baby.  She reminds me each and every day. 

All babies grow up fast, but Brooke, it was lightening speed.    Maybe it’s the fact that she’s huge for her age.  She wears 2T clothes, meaning she’s gone through 6 sizes of clothing in the past 12-15 months.  At nearly 27.5 lbs (98th percentile) and 32 inches tall (91st percentile), she’s commonly mistaken for already being 2. 

But she’s advanced in other ways too.  Brooke is extremely smart and perceptive.  She always surprises us with how much she understands the world around her. 

• Aunt Kristan was trying to get Mason ready to go home – and Brooke comes running in with Mason’s shoes.   
• When Brooke has a nasty POOPY diaper, and she runs to the bathroom and tries to take her diaper off so she could go on the toilet (a little late, but still).
• When my mom was watching her, she saw my Papa coming up the stairs, and she got excited.  “Hi Papa!” she yelled out.  She uses a lot of simple two-word sentences, like, “Up please.”  Usually kids are 2 before they start talking this much.  And if I give an extra long command, she’ll be my little echo, getting the tone/inflection nearly perfect, but the words, not so much.
• Brooke loves to go outside, so it’s not uncommon for her to bring me her shoes and then run to the door.  Well—one day she brought me mine too – so there was no further delays!
• She’s such a talker!  She knows LOTS of words, and when she isn’t saying words, she’s jibber-jabbering.  She’s notorious for incessantly yelling my name, in a whining tone, “Mooommmm, Mom, Mommmaa, Mmmmmooooommm…”  repeated nonstop until I respond, “Yes Brooke.” And she’ll turn that whine into the sweetest, softest lil voice she can muster, and then go on some cute rant “ahhh do dee dahh….” 

 

• Miss Independent insists on doing must things her self – like feeding herself with a spoon or fork, going up and down stairs, grabbing diapers/wipes when it’s time for a diaper change – and my personal favorite – throwing it away in the trash! 

And my least favorite – moving around the kitchen barstools so she can climb every where she wants!  One morning, she insisted on “helping” make crepes, and was worried she’d either burn herself or pour batter all over herself.  I couldn’t leave her alone for a second, no matter how badly I had to pee :)

And some things not so successfully, like putting on shoes (not just her own – everyone's!), or selecting an outfit hanging up from my closet – she can get it off the hanger, but not over her head :)

But for the most part, I LOVE her new found independence.  Considering baby #3 is just around the corner, I’m all about her learning to do things on her own.  It’s hard enough carrying all 27+ lbs of her & my 7 month preggo belly up and down the stairs, but I can only imagine its going to get harder with a tiny newborn in tow. 

Whatever you do, don’t tell her she’s only 15 months.  Cause she thinks she’s much older, and is doing her best to keep up with big brother. 

Oh my Miss Brooke – as long as you still give me hugs and kisses – I’ll try to tolerate this growing up business! 

Each and every day, you have been such a BLESSING to my life.  But I have a feeling, this is only the beginning!